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Glenn Abbott

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Glenn Abbott
Abbott in 1978
Pitcher
Born: (1951-02-16) February 16, 1951 (age 75)
Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 29, 1973, for the Oakland Athletics
Last MLB appearance
August 8, 1984, for the Detroit Tigers
MLB statistics
Win–loss record62–83
Earned run average4.39
Strikeouts484
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Career highlights and awards
  • Pitched a combined no-hitter on September 28, 1975

William Glenn Abbott (born February 16, 1951) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher and minor league pitching coach. During an 11-year baseball career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics (1973–76), Seattle Mariners (1977–81; 1983), and Detroit Tigers (1983–84). Abbott, along with Vida Blue, Paul Lindblad and Rollie Fingers, combined for the first four-pitcher combined no-hitter in MLB history.

Early life

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Abbott was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. He played baseball and basketball at North Little Rock High School and had planned to continue with both sports in college. However, he was drafted out of high school and signed immediately.[1]

Professional career

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Oakland Athletics

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Abbott was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the eighth round of the 1969 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in July 1973.[2]

On September 28, 1975, Abbott pitched one inning of a no-hitter over the California Angels on the last day of the regular season, relieving Vida Blue, who threw the first five innings. Abbott retired Ike Hampton, Jerry Remy and Dave Chalk in order in the sixth inning before being replaced by Paul Lindblad and later Rollie Fingers. This was the first four-pitcher combined no-hitter in MLB history. Abbott pitched four seasons with the Athletics going 13−16 with a 4.08 ERA in 73 games, 45 of them starts.[2][3]

Seattle Mariners

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In November 1976, the Seattle Mariners selected Abbott in the 1976 MLB expansion draft. He played for the Mariners longer than any other player from their original 1977 Opening Day roster.[4] Abbott said this about being chosen by the Mariners:

Wes Stock, my pitching coach in Oakland, had gone up there, and I was excited about going to a new ballclub, but I never dreamed the team would be so crummy. I went from an A's team that had won three straight World Series with still quite a few veterans on it, to a team of young guys who didn't know what they could do.[5]

Abbott led all Mariners pitchers in wins in 1977 and 1980, winning 12 games in each season.[2] Abbott was the Mariners' Opening Day starting pitcher in 1978, 1979, and 1981.[6] Mariners announcer Dave Niehaus nicknamed Abbott the "Tall Arkansan".[4]

Abbott finished his tenure with the Mariners going 44−62 with a 4.54 ERA in 155 games, 146 of them starts.[2] He was the franchise leader in wins, losses, innings pitched, and starts through the 1984 season.[7]

Detroit Tigers

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On August 23, 1983, Abbott's contract was purchased by the Detroit Tigers from the Mariners for $100,000. In parts of two seasons with the Tigers, Abbott was 2−2 with a 3.87 ERA in 20 games, 15 of them starts, before his release on August 14, 1984.[2]

Coaching career

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Abbott has had a long career with many different stops as a minor league pitching coach, primarily in the New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, and San Diego Padres systems. Listed below are the team's he coached:

Personal life

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Abbott and his wife have three children and 10 grandchildren. He attended State College of Arkansas.[3][1] He coached his oldest son with Visalia in 1997. Another son was also a baseball pitcher.[4][9][1]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 Best, Jason. "Glenn Abbott". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Glenn Abbott Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 New York Mets 2020 Media Guide. New York Mets. 2020. p. 262.
  4. 1 2 3 Rockne, Dick (May 11, 1997). "Memoirs - 20 Years Of Mariners -- `Tall Arkansan' Fondly Recalls Years With M's". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  5. ↑ Street, Jim (June 16, 2002). "Where've you gone, Glenn Abbott?". MLB.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Glenn Abbott - Jobs in Baseball". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Major League Leaders". FanGraphs.
  8. ↑ Todd, Jeff (June 30, 2020). "2020 Minor League Season Canceled". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Todd Abbott Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
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